Look at How Far We've Come
by Iota Xi
Summary: Whilst cloud watching and Po falling asleep, Tigress reflects on how her life has changed..."Mhm, I'll believe that when Master Shifu can actually find a pair of ear muffs that fit him." And how that black and white lump of fur fit into all of it.


**So guys, I've been thinking about the KFP timeline. I dunno, I just like keeping up with this kind of stuff in my head.**

**So we have the events of KFP and I read somewhere that KFP2 was about 6 months after. Then, that puts the whole Winter Festival and Po's telling of the 'Secrets of the Furious Five' somewhere in the 6 month range… and I guess 'Legends of Awesomeness' goes in that span as well… but what of Po's telling of the 'Secrets of the Masters'? Am I correct to assume that it would have been after KFP2?**

**Anyways, this little one-shot is based on my thinking on the process of Po and Tigress becoming friends. I mean sure she recognized him as a master and the Dragon Warrior (and smiled at him) after he defeated Tai Lung, but there's more to it than that right? Roight!**

**Well let's get this show on the road!**

**I don't own KFP.**

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>No journey is long with good company."<strong>_

**Look at How Far We Come**

It's crazy, and to think it's only been six months since he literally fell out of the sky and into our lives, our destinies intertwined forever from that moment on…

I let out a sigh of content as I crossed my arms behind my orange head.

We're on a hill, by the way- one of those nice, soft picturesque grassy ones that make the Valley of Peace so unique, and that I've never truly appreciated until now. Master Shifu let us take the day off since we just returned from our victorious mission at Gongmen City.

The sun was shining and a gentle breeze swept over us. It was as if Mother Nature herself was trying to relax us after our journey. And that wouldn't surprise me too, considering the absolutely perfect layout of the sky today.

Imagine the bluest blue you ever saw, stretched out over the vast expanse of the heavens. Now imagine the whitest little puffs of fluff (excuse my girliness) and you have the clouds, sailing at an almost leisurely pace above our heads.

And yes, I do realize I've been using the plural. We are-or should I say _were _cloud watching. Well, I'm still cloud watching, but the other half of the 'we' is currently fast asleep.

I let a smile form as I tilted my head ever so slightly to the side, just to catch a glimpse of the warrior beside me. His mouth was ajar with his tongue hanging out over the side. His stomach rising and falling in accordance with his breathing. And even though we all persist to him that he's not "fat", all he does is say, "Naw, come on guys. Don't worry about it, okay? It's just more to love!"

And yes, I did love him (as a friend and in a completely plutonic and non-romantic way of course!).

He was my best friend.

And he looked absolutely adorable…

And if any of you told him I said that I swear I will hunt you down and grind your bones to make my bread.

Ahem- where was I? Oh yes, I believe we were discussing the oh so wonderful Dragon Warrior known simply as Po.

But in the midst of this picture-perfect moment, I can't help but wonder, "How did we get to this point?"

How did I go from hating his guts to actually thinking of him as a friend?

And as my mind began to drift away to memories of the first week, I felt my eyelids close.

"I remember it like it was yesterday…"

* * *

><p>"<em>We have failed you, Master."<em>

"_No, if that panda has not left by morning, then it is I who would have failed you."_

I hated that panda. He took away what I've longed for so long. He took away my chance to make father actually proud of me, to not see spotted grey when he's looking at orange with black stripes. He took away _everything_.

And I wanted him dead.

"_Oh, hey-um, Master Tigress! I-I, uh-"_

"_You don't belong here."_

"_Yeah, yeah since this is your room and all-"_

"_No, you don't belong__ here__, at the Jade Palace. And if you have any respect for who we are and what we do... you won't bother showing up in the morning."_

I remember shutting the door in his face, a strange sort of satisfaction coming over me. And then he said it. I didn't even realize he was still there.

"_Big fan…"_

I was dumbstruck, and that's when I knew that none of this was his fault. He didn't ask to be the Dragon Warrior, and it was wrong of me to take my anger out on him. It was all just an accident after all…

_I opened the door to apologize, but he was already gone._

I was at odds with myself the next couple days. I was still frustrated, but at the same time I almost felt some empathy for the panda.

So, I just settled on beating him to a pulp during his first day of training.

Eh, I guess my conscience wasn't as _nice_ back then. Half a year with the giant panda tends to change you…

Anyway, back to the memories.

The night the others and I set out to defeat Tai Lung, I was listening in on Master Shifu and Po's conversation.

"_Even if it takes Tai Lung a year to get here, how are you going to change __this__ into the Dragon Warrior?"_

"…"

"_How? How!"_

"_I don't know! I don't know…"_

I felt a twinge of feeling for the panda before I back flippedoff the rooftop and started my journey. At this point let's fast forward a few days since nothing of great importance happened. *Cough* we got our butts handed to us by Tai Lung *Cough*

I was carrying a baby rabbit during the evacuation when we heard the strangest explosion that came from the village. Seconds later an intense golden wave of pure chi came soaring over us.

_No way. He couldn't possibly have-_

We raced back to the village to find people already cheering.

_Impossible, who could have possibly defeated Tai Lung?_

And lo and behold, we see Po embracing his father. It was at that moment that we knew in our hearts that he truly was the Dragon Warrior.

_Well there's only one thing for it then… I put my fist in my paw and bowed._

"_Master."_

_As I lifted my head up, I don't know what came over me, but I smiled. I actually smiled._

_I have to stop being so weak._

* * *

><p>And then we all became the best friends and tight-knit loving, albeit sometimes dysfunctional, family we are today, right?<p>

Not exactly.

Po quickly became extremely close to the others. And he even allowed my father to achieve Inner Peace for crying out loud! That being said, my father's still a prune… just a nicer, softer, and more understanding one.

But there just wasn't that "click" yet between Po and I. It was just this sort of awkward, sometimes tension filled, acknowledgment of each other.

Well actually, he was always the kind one. I was just being… me.

Looking back on it maybe there was something wrong with me?

Oh well. Po was determined to get me to fully accept him as part of my family, and if you know anything about that panda, you know he's nothing if not persistent.

Let me explain. It all started a few days after he defeated Tai Lung…

* * *

><p>We were training.<p>

Well, _most_ of us were. Po had his daily training sessions with Master Shifu, and he was just here with us in the training hall trying not to get himself killed.

That being said, this panda would be able to hold his own in the training hall after only about a month. He's proven himself to be amazingly talented in learning kung fu- doing things that would have taken others years to master.

Mmm. Yes, well… moving on…

"_Tigress, why do you hate me?"_

"_I don't hate you, Dragon Warrior,"_

"_See? There it is again."_

_I put my hands on my hips and eyed him inquisitively. "There is what again?"_

"_That," Po said, "you've only called me 'Dragon Warrior' or just 'panda' or something! All the others call me by name. So, what's up with you?"_

_I didn't respond, instead choosing to focus on my training once more._

"_What, are you chicken or something?"_

You see at this point I probably should have figured out that he was just baiting me, but I was having a weird few days at the time. I was confused on how I should have been treating all of this- or specifically, Po.

Darn my poor social development. I blame my lack of people skills on Shifu.

All things considered, something in me at that point just snapped, for reasons I can't really place…

_I growled, "What did you just say?"_

"_You heard me. I, Po Ping, am calling __the__ Master Tigress a chicken!"_

_The others by this time have ceased their training and gathered around us, no doubt interested to see what would happen… or maybe to make sure I didn't break __too__ many of Po's bones._

_The little dance and the noises he was doing didn't really help either._

"_Take it back," I said._

"_Make me."_

_Oh, I was hoping he would say that._

_I wasted no time in elbowing straight in the gut sending the panda flying through the doors and into the courtyard._

_And in quick succession I bounded out of the training hall, jumping immediately into a back flip._

_Mid-jump (I was at least 20 feet in the air) I twisted- righting myself in preparation for a brutal overhead strike._

_Block this if you can, noodle boy._

_And then the strangest thing happened._

_He stood up, dusted himself off, and without so much as I sideways glance… he blocked it. And with one elbow!_

_That kick had enough juice in it to crack every bone in his body. He knew it. I knew it. Heck, the cracks in the ground that the kick had caused knew it too._

_I could practically feel my and the others' jaws drop open._

_I was so shocked that I couldn't even react before I felt Po's massive girth ricochet me into the wall._

_My body fell to the ground with a thud._

_I was stunned- so much so that I didn't even bother getting back up. I contemplated my defeat until I saw a black paw extend itself into my peripheral._

_Without thinking, I took it._

"_Are you okay, Master Tigress?"_

"_I'm fine. Well done, Dragon Warrior." And to emphasize the point I bowed respectfully._

"_Heh, gee thanks, Tigress, I just caught you off guard is all."_

And that was one of the things that irked me then. Here he was, the defeater of Tai Lung and now fully respected and deserving of the title of the Dragon Warrior, but still as humble, easy going, and gracious as the day he first set foot in the palace. To top it all off, despite my initial treatment and the indifference I was showing him, Po still showed me kindness.

It killed me inside. But… more on that later.

_I nodded and turned to leave, but not before throwing him some last few words._

"_It won't happen again."_

And it certainly didn't. The next few days I had made sure Po knew who's boss anytime we got a chance to spar.

But there was a little change in the way I thought of him though. I respected him, and not like before where I respected his abilities as a fighter. Now I respected him as him, if you know what I mean.

No, you don't know what I mean? No worries, let's just move on to the dinner shall we?

* * *

><p>Amount of time since Tai Lung's passing at this point amounted to about a week, and being the noodle-loving panda that he was, Po graciously had taken over cooking duties. And it's been that way ever since.<p>

And back to the dinner… and what a dinner it was, especially considering what happened after it.

"_Try some."_

"_No."_

"_Aw c'mon, Tigress! All you've eaten for the last two decades is steamed tofu!" voiced Viper._

"_No."_

_Po was about to empty the contents of my bowl back into the pot when Viper decided to play her ace. One I didn't even know she had._

"_If you don't, I'll tell everyone about the you-know-what you keep under your mattress."_

_I felt my whiskers twitch, but I wouldn't fold so easily._

"_I have no idea what you're talking about."_

"_Oh, I think you do."_

_The look on her eyes told me that she wasn't lying, but how could she have possibly known about that?_

_There was only one option left to me._

_Besides having to find a new hiding spot for Mr. Snuggle-kins, of course._

"_Fine. P-um, Dragon Warrior, I'll be having that bowl of soup if you don't mind."_

"_Of course, Tigress! Um, here you go…" Po slid the soup to my end of the table._

_I eyed it inquisitively, the others looking at me with wide, expecting eyes._

_Slowly, very slowly I brought the warm broth to my lips…_

_I took a sip._

Now, my existence has been divided into two parts: life before trying Po's Secret Ingredient Soup and life after.

I'm kidding of course, but still, after over 20 years of nothing but steamed tofu, that one sip of broth was… was…

_Amazing. This one sip of soup was the best thing I've ever put into my mouth._

_It was like my taste buds have just been humming a faint tune and the, BAM!_

_Ode to freakin' Joy explodes in my mouth!_

_I was about to gulp the rest of the bowl down when I realized that there were others in the room, still waiting for my consensus. Po was staring right at me, and without thinking I pushed the bowl back to him and answered,_

"_It's okay, but I think I'll just stick with my tofu."_

_The crestfallen looks on everyone's faces (Po's especially) made me feel a slight pang of regret._

_I quickly squashed down the feeling, however, and said my goodnights before heading off to get some well deserved sleep._

* * *

><p><em>Ha, I wish.<em>

_As soon as silence descended upon the barracks as a sign of everyone succumbing to sleep, I quickly and quietly left my room and desperately ran for the kitchen._

"_Please be some left, please be some left, please be some- AHA!"_

_I spotted the pot on the stovetop, still slightly warm since the coals in the hearth had just given it there last go._

_I lifted the top to see that there was about a bowl's worth of soup left in the pot._

_Not bothering to take out a bowl, I quickly hefted the medium sized vessel and ran outside._

I don't know why I felt the urge to go outside, maybe the stars looked nice or something, I don't know, I was… not thinking clearly at the time okay?

_I made my way out to the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, and lowered myself down at the base of the trunk._

_If I looked up I would've seen a beautiful night sky with the moon hanging high, casting its warm lunar white glow on the valley… that's what I would have seen if I wasn't busy drowning myself in soup._

_*Slurp, slurp, slurp*_

"_Tigress, if you wanted your soup to-go, you could've just asked."_

_My head snapped up, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Po making his way over to sit down in front of me. _

_Almost on reflex I threw the pot away, flinching as I heard its metallic clang at the bottom of the cliff._

"_Um, Tigress? You kinda got a little something…"_

_He gestured to my upper lip, and I cast my eyes downwards to see some noodle hanging off of it much like how Po did his imitation of Master Shifu._

_I quickly wiped it off._

"_What do you want, Panda?"_

"_I just want to talk."_

"_There's nothing to talk about."_

"_Yes, there is."_

"_No, there isn-"_

"_Tigress, stop. I've been trying so hard. Why won't you consider me a friend?"_

"_See! That's exactly it! Why would you want to be friends with me? I've treated you like dirt ever since you got here! And- and you've shown me nothing but kindness and respect. Why?"_

_And in an almost inaudible whisper I said it again. "Why?"_

_By this time I hadn't realized that we were both standing up, Po's emerald gaze never leaving my own._

"_Because, I have no right to treat you any other way."_

"_What?"_

_Po sighed. "Tigress, you're one of my heroes, and I've looked up to you as long as I can remember. Even if you treat me like crap for the rest of my life, I will always, always treat you with the kindness and respect you deserve."_

_I was at a loss for words._

"_But-but, you can't- I can't…"_

"_Tigress?"_

"_NO!" I roared, "You took it away from me! You took everything!_

At this point I was just letting loose, even forgetting Po was even there.

_That was my one chance. ONE chance to gain my Baba's respect, his- his love. I worked my entire life to prove myself. To not just be a second Tai Lung, to accomplish what even he couldn't! And you, you took that away from me… I-I-"_

_I bent my head down, not wanting him to see the tears that have welled up in my eyes. _

_I felt a paw on my shoulder._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_What? Po, you can't be serious! I'm the one who should be-"_

"_Shh, it's okay. I wanted to say it."_

_I felt Po lift my chin up to meet his eyes._

"_Tigress, I'm so, so sorry. I should have known what being the Dragon Warrior meant to you. And if you'd let me, I'd really, really like to make it up to you."_

"_But-"_

"_No buts," he extended his fury black paw, "friends?"_

_I took his hand, ignoring the tingling sensation it created when we made contact._

"_Friends."_

And I swear, Po smiled as wide as I have ever seen him, even to this day.

"_How bout we get some sleep. I'll make you some soup in the morning?"_

_I smiled. A true, genuine smile._

"_I'd like that."_

* * *

><p>And here we are, full circle, six months later.<p>

"Tigress?"

I opened my eyes.

"Yes, Po?"

"What'cha thinkin' about?"

"Nothin'."

"Mhm, I'll believe that when Master Shifu can actually find a pair of ear muffs that fit him."

I laughed, but when I looked at him, he was still eyeing me, waiting for an answer.

"Just remembering how we became friends."

"That was one crazy week."

"Yeah."

"Heh, and look at how far we've come."


End file.
